No Shave November

How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? I would assume if you have long hair it’ll take longer than if you have very short hair (get my drift). Who knows? All I know is that in our family Ben is the one that takes longer to primp every day.

Part of the reason for this is that I probably don’t care as much as I should. In my defense, I know my hair will be grabbed with banana mushed hands and I will be gardening, cleaning, bathing children, and trying to throw some exercise into my day. I’m way less motivated to care about what my hair is doing or if I put on makeup when I’m throwing myself into life! Ben, on the other hand, is going to be captured on film and documented for all time! It seems only fitting that he should hog the bathroom. Although he is very considerate. 

It seems so strange to me that his body is his job. I mean… how weird is that. He can’t get sick. He has to go to the gym regularly. He has to eat well. He has to take care of his skin and hair. So his job definitely extends past his work hours as he tries his hardest to keep a bookable appearance. It’s kind of nice, actually, that something keeps him accountable to take care of himself. Now I’ll have to find some motivation for myself to do the same.

In addition to his primping, Ben also has to get so much stuff ready to go to work. Generally when he gets his job details they state that he needs to wear specific clothes and bring “options.” Often he has to pack one to three sets of clothes to take with him. It’s not as intense as it sounds. Generally an “option” consists of a different colored tie, an added accessory, a sweater or something like that. Sometimes though… it is a whole outfit change. Many people bring huge suitcases and garment bags with them to set for that very reason. 

To book jobs, occasionally the casting call will ask for a photo in a specific outfit to be considered for the part. Recently I’ve been exclaiming, after reading the job description, “Curses! Ben, why don’t we have full body armor?” or even “How hard can it be to put together a ‘homeless’ ensemble?” We’ve also been talking about what a good investment a tuxedo and Superman outfit would be for him. For me… maybe a pantsuit so I can play an FBI agent here and there. 🙂 Oh yeah.

Speaking of… we were at the girls school for an awards assembly this week. Suddenly both our phones started to buzz- casting call for sure. I looked at it as Ben checked in at the front office. I read the job description and knew instantly that Ben could do the role. I popped my head up and stated in a hurried voice, “Ben! FBI! Call, call, call! Hand me the baby. Hurry, you can do this one!” I’m not sure what the secretary must think. 

Sadly enough he wasn’t able to take FBI jobs this week because of his facial hair. Being married to an actor, I never know what I’ll wake up to tomorrow. From one day to the next he’s growing out his wavy locks or getting a spur of the moment trim. I can never tell if the five o’clock shadow is getting shaved or shaped.

I have a hard time describing him to people. “He looks like Superman” works only half the time. The other half the time he’s an Indiana Jones reincarnate or a Brigham Young look-alike.

In our last family photo Ben had hair just long enough to put in a ponytail. When I show off our photo I feel the need to specify what he looks like now. …Maybe we need new family photos. 

This month Ben has been prepping to film a scene with his acting class. The hope is that we can use this footage for his theatrical film reel. The scene is supposed to push Ben out of his comfort zone. So… he’s supposed to be a disheveled, stressed, drunk. Definitely out of character for him. I’m slightly giddy to see if he can convince me with his acting. To prep, he’s been letting his hair grow out and growing some stubble. So… until next week FBI.